Weed and drift remover



April l937- c. E. DALTON 2,078,127

WEED AND DRIFT REMOVER Filed July 15, 1936' 3 Sheets-Sheet l (I fiaZZOIZ April 20, 1937. c. E. DALTON WEED AND DRIFT REMOVER M 90 2 I l I 1 M M m 0 a n s v m m w 10 0 6 E w l 1 WV 5 l y l m W d a e l i I I i F ,IIIIIJ 11 April 20, 1937. c. E. DALTO N WEED AND DRIFT REMOVER 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 15, 1936 a m V U.

Etienn /19S.

Patented Apr. 20, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application July 15,

3 Claims.

By way of explanation, it may be stated that floating weeds and other drifting material tend to foul a waterway, such as an irrigation ditch. The present invention proposes to provide a mechanism located at strategic points, for instance at flumes, tunnels and siphons, for collecting the floating material, raising the floating material out of the waterway, carrying the collected material laterally, and dumping it on the bank of the waterway.

The invention comprises a collecting instru mentality, located at the bottom of the ditch and an instrumentality for aiding in the collection of floating material, and capable of raising and carrying away the floating material as aforesaid. The invention aims to improve the construction of both of the instrumentalities referred to, and to improve the means for actuating them.

It is within the province of the disclosure. to

improve generally and to enhance the utility of devices of that type to which the invention appertains.

With the above and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, may be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invenion.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 shows in elevation, a device constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the structure shown in Fig. 1, many parts appearing in elevaion;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section showing one of the bearings and attendant parts, much of the structure appearing in top plan;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4--4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5--5 of Fig. 3.

The numeral I marks a waterway, for instance an irrigation ditch. A first pedestal 2 is mounted at one side of the ditch I, and a second pedes tal 3 is mounted at the opposite side of the ditch. There is an upstanding stop pin 4 on the second pedestal 3. The pedestals 2 and 3 constitute a support for most of the mechanism hereinafter described.

A cap plate 5 is securely mounted on the upper end of the pedestal 2, and a base plate 6 is secured at l to the cap plate. Figures 3 and 4 show that the base plate 6 has an upstanding,

1936, Serial No. 90,797

inverted cup-shaped hub 8, supplied with a large central opening 9. An anchor disk I0 is rotatably mounted in the hub 8, below the top of the hub and has a central opening ll. Anti-friction bearings l2 are interposed between the anchor disk I!) and the top of the hub 8.

A turn table [4 is rotatably mounted on the top of the hub 8, anti-friction bearings l5 being interposed between the turn table and the top of the hub. The turn table l4 has a depending ring 16 journaled in the opening 9 of the hub 8. The turn table I 4 is supplied with a central depending stud l1, journaled in the opening H of the anchor plate I B. The turn table M has adepending rim !9, located about the hub 8. Securing elements 18 connect the anchor disk ID with the turn table l4. Without a lengthy explanation, a glance at Fig. 4 will show that the turn table I4 is mounted on the base plate 6 and is held securely thereon for rotation about a vertical axis represented by the stud ll of the turn table. A tubular bearing 20 is formed integrally with the turn table l4 and is connected thereto by fins 21. The numeral 2| marks a strut having feet 22 that straddle the bearing 20, the feet being secured at 23 to the turn table 14, as shown in Fig. 3.

A tubular shaft. 24, which may be denominated a first shaft, is journaled in the bearing 20 for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis,

and since the turn table l4 can rotate about a vertical axis represented by the stud II, the shaft 24 is mounted for swinging movement in a substantially horizontal plane. The first shaft 24 turns in collars 25 and 26, located near the, ends of the shaft, between annular ribs 28, fixed to the shaft. The ends of a guy 29 are secured to the collars 25 and 26, the guy being engaged intermediately by the strut 2|. Thus, the shaft 24 is sustained by a truss of simple form, shown most clearly in Fig. 1. The bearing 2|] is located nearer to one end of the shaft 24 than to the other end thereof, and to offset the weight of the long part of the shaft, and elements carried by it, a counterweight 30 is suspended from the collar 25. The means for imparting rotation to the shaft 24, at the will of an operator, embodies a worm wheel 3 I, secured to the said shaft. Figure 3 shows that the turn table [4 has an offs'et 32, to which a depending bracket 33 (Fig. 4) is secured. In the bracket 33, a shaft 34 is journaled, the shaft being rotated by a crank 35, disclosed in Fig. 3, or by any other appropriate means. A worm 36 (Fig. 4) is secured to the shaft 34 and meshes with the worm wheel 3| on the shaft 24.

Curved, depending fingers or collectors 31 are secured at 38 to that part of the shaft 24 which overhangs the ditch I, the connection at 38 being of such nature that the fingers 31 may be 5 adjusted circumferentially of the shaft 24, to

bring them in line.

Supporting blocks 39 are located on the bottom of the ditch I, close to the pedestals 2 and. 3, as shown in Fig. 1. In order to prevent the supporting blocks 39 from working down stream,

retaining members, such as chains 40, are connected at 4| to bearings 44 which are fixedly mounted on the blocks 39. The up stream ends of the chains 40 are connected at 42 to anchors 43, fixedly mounted on the banks of the ditch I.

A second shaft 45 is mounted to rock in the bearings 44. The shaft 45 carries upstanding fingers or collectors 46, which alternate with the collectors 31 on the shaft 24. The shaft 45 may be operated by any suitable means, such as a handle 41. This handle 47 is held against movement by means of the hooks 48, carried by the chain 49, which hooks engage in the ring 50 secured to the handle 41.

When the parts are arranged as shown in Figure 1, the collectors 46 extend upwardly, and the collectors 37 extend downwardly. The collectors stop the floating weeds or other trash in the stream, the shaft 24 being prevented from swinging down stream, because one end of the shaft rests on the pedestal 3, against the stop pin 4.

By means of the handle 35, the shaft 34 is rotated, and the worm 36 and the worm wheel 3! will rotate the shaft 24 in the bearings 28. This causes the collectors 31 on the shaft 24 to swing upwardly to the substantially horizontal position shown at 48 in Figure 2, the trash collected on the parts 31, and against the fingers 46, being raised out of the ditch. The shaft 24 is swung 40 horizontally, to the position shown at 48 in Figure 2, the turn table l4 rotating with respect to the hub 8 of the base plate 6. The collectors 37 are now at one side of the ditch l, and above one bank of the ditch, By means of the handle 35 and associated parts, the shaft may be rotated to swing the collectors 31 downwardly, the load of accumulated material being dumped on the bank. I

When the device is inoperative, the shaft 24 re- .50 mains in the position shown at 49 in Figure 2, the collectors 3! being out of the ditch I. The shaft 45 may be rotated by the handle 4! until the collectors 46 on said shaft lie on the bottom of the ditch l. The ditch then is substantially unobstructed.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. A device for clearing a waterway of floating material, comprising a substantially horizontal shaft having depending collectors, means for mounting the shaft for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis, means for rotating the shaft about a substantially horizontal axis, to raise the collectors, and means for mounting the shaft for swinging movement in a substantially horizontal plane, to carry the raised collectors laterally, the means for rotating the shaft then being effected to rotate the shaft and cause the collectors to dump the material carried thereby.

2. A device for clearing a waterway of floating material, comprising a substantially horizontal shaft having depending collectors, upstanding collectors alternating with the depending col lectors, means for mounting the upstanding collectors in a waterway, means for mounting the shaft for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis, means for rotating the shaft about a substantially horizontal axis, to raise the collectors, and means for mounting the shaft for swinging movement in a substantially horizontal plane, to carry the raising collectors laterally, the means for rotating the shaft then being effected to rotate the shaft and cause the collectors of the shaft to dump the material carried by said collectors.

3. A device for clearing a waterway of floating material, comprising a substantially horizontal first shaft having depending collectors, a substantially horizontal second shaft, means for mounting the second shaft for rotation at the will of an operator, in a waterway, upstanding collectors carried by the second shaft and alternating with the depending collectors, means for mounting the first shaft for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis, means for rotating the first shaft about a substantially horizontal axis, to raise the depending collectors, and means for mounting the first shaft for swinging movement in a substantally horizontal plane to carry the raised collectors laterally and to one side of a waterway.

CHARLES E. DALTON. 

